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OpenStreetMap Launches Super Fast Map Editor

OpenStreetMap, one of the world’s largest open data projects, just launched their new, super fast map editor. Code-named "iD", the editor radically lowers the barriers of entry to edit the map right from the browser. The editor is the most critical tool for open maps - being the interface for all contributors to add and edit data.

"Starting today 1 million community mappers gain access to this new editor," says Alex Barth, OpenStreetMap US Foundation Secretary. "It radically flattens the learning curve for existing users and for the two thousand new ones OpenStreetMap adds every day. Investing in core infrastructure like this is a game changer for OpenStreetMap and legacy proprietary data companies won't be able to keep up with the combination of top notch editing experience and openly licensed database. In short, we will get more people adding more data, faster."

With "iD" OpenStreetMap is poised to gain millions of more members once people start to see how quick it can be to add data to their local neighborhoods and to regions once under-served.

Here is an example of how easy it is to add a road:

This is how you can name a park by your house:

This new, faster, and easier to use editor will accelerate OpenStreetMap's community growth as an army of volunteer contributors, ranging from neighborhood mappers to private companies, who create and maintain a worldwide map that rivals commercial options.

"This is the most cutting edge map tool ever made," says Tom MacWright, lead developer on iD at MapBox. "It's written in pure JavaScript with the d3 visualization library, and on open web standards that are constantly improving. Everything is open source and totally free of restrictions, so we already have coders around the world helping build and fix iD."

Plus, the new editor is already translated into dozens of languages.

"This editor is so easy to use, anyone can start mapping in minutes. This is going to increase both data quality and quantity in OpenStreetMap and that means MapBox is going to have the best map in the world," says MapBox CEO Eric Gundersen.

Here is a 60 second tour showing how easy it is to trace everything from a road, to naming a place, to add a building.